


Growth

by MultiVerSonalityDisorder



Category: Clannad
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Family, Growth, High School, Next Gen, Next Generation, Post-Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-03-14 14:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3414503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultiVerSonalityDisorder/pseuds/MultiVerSonalityDisorder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Okazaki Ushio is starting high school. How will her ever-loving parents cope? The Drama Club? A guy? Oh dear, Tomoya-kun! UshioXOC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ushio

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Clannad or the characters, but I do own Okazaki Aoi and Kobayashi Fukiko.

It was the general morning in the Okazaki household. Nagisa cooked, Tomoya and Ushio performed their daily routine for getting ready, and the three ate as a family. Yes, it was the typical morning, except for the fact that the daughter of the house was starting high school. Yes, little Okazaki Ushio was going to attend the very same school where her parents met and fell in love. Hikarizaka Private High School.

Nagisa was overjoyed, and even a little nervous for her daughter; tears of joy claiming her eyes as she saw her in her school uniform, which surprisingly hadn’t changed since Nagisa’s time there. Tomoya, on the other hand, though elated that his daughter was growing and following their footsteps, so to speak, was a tad uneasy. Ushio had matured the past year or so…physically. Her face had thinned a bit with the loss of the baby fat, her hair growing out and draping her shoulders, and her subtle breasts…slowly becoming less subtle. He remembered his times of youth and the thought of all those young males around her…he had to hold it in as Nagisa held his hand in comfort.

The two waved as Ushio scurried off, her insisting that she would be fine for she was rather adventurous, leaving them with their quick-beating hearts and worry in the pits of their stomachs. “She’ll be fine,” Nagisa spoke quietly, hand tightening in her husband’s grip.

He glanced down at her, pulling his hand away from hers and instead wrapping his arm about her shoulders, holding her close and resting his head atop hers, “She’ll be fine.”

 

* * *

Ushio ran, a smile bright and wide on her face as she did. She wasn’t late or any of the sort but she wanted to get there early, wanted to finally become a high school student, wanting to finally see what her parents saw so many years ago; the magic of young romance. She giggled with a blush on her cheeks.  _Could such a thing happen to me as well?_  she thought, anxiety and excitement filling her entire being to the brim.

She saw the gates, saw the students walking in or hanging about with smiles and cheers of the reunions of old friends. She sped, even more excited. Though, this only caused her to fall and plummet to the ground face-first as one of her feet didn’t land on the ground properly. She  _was_  a bit of a klutz. She could hear giggles around her trying to be muffled, causing her cheeks to gain a slight pink of embarrassment as well.

Then, there was a laugh above her, “You okay there, slick?”

Her hazel-golden eyes peered up as she straightened herself on her knees, sitting back to get a decent look at the voice that teased her. It was a young man, a tall young man almost six feet tall, with short violet-red hair and yellow green eyes that glistened with his smile, not at all clashing with his tan uniform. “U-Um…” Ushio was a bit off-guard to say the least.

He gave another laugh as he held out a hand, “Need some help?”

Mouth slightly open, Ushio nodded slowly, dumbly, and hesitantly took the teen’s hand, giving out a yelp of surprise at the sudden pull to her feet, making him chuckle  _again_.

"Light on your feet I see," he winked, just before his eyes caught something that, to her, appeared to be on the ground. "You’re bleeding," he stated, forcing the honey eyes to blink in slight confusion before glancing down and seeing her knees scraped up and bleeding from the asphalt.

"E-Eh?" Ushio gaped, as if it were a mystery as to how her knees became injured in the first place.

The young man sighed with a crooked smile, a hand on his hip as he tugged her towards him, “I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.”

"H-Huh?" the girl’s confusion would not die as she was suddenly dragged towards one of the school buildings. She became flustered and tried to pull back her hand, "I-It’s okay! They’re just scratches so…and I need to be there for the opening ceremony and-!"

"Don’t worry, don’t worry," he hummed, not seeming fazed in the least as he continued on his journey. "There’s plenty of time. Sure, you may look a little funny with bandages on your knees poking out of your skirt, not the best accessory, but I think you’d be even funnier to look at with patches of blood dripping down them. Then again that’s just my hunch~"

"U-Um…" Ushio flushed, chewing her bottom lip. "Thank you…" she murmured. "Sorry to be a bother."

"No bother, no bother~!" he laughed heartily. "Everything’s fine~! Don’t push yourself!"

Shining eyes glanced up at the back of the violet-red hair, kept short and clean and seeming to tease the tops of his ears that seemed a bit red. “You’re…a rather nice person…”

The young man stopped mid-step, looking over his shoulder with a raised brow, “Hm?”

"Hm?" Ushio blinked several times, matching the same expression as he did, until he turned around completely to face her, smile gentle and him not releasing her hand one bit.

"What’s your name?" he asked, voice calm and warm, happy.

"Ah!" Ushio bowed, the best she could with her hand trapped in his in front of her. "My name is Okazaki Ushio! I’m a freshman! Please take care of me!"

The smile grew, “Freshman, huh? Ushio?” A hand went up to stroke his chin as if he were in thought. “Ushio. It’s got a ring to it. Could be a stage name.”

The brunette slowly, hesitantly, straightened herself, “S-Stage name?”

"Mhmm!" came the nod before the young man himself released her hand in order to swing one arm back and the other across his torso as he performed a deep and low bow. "The name is Kobayashi Fukiko. I am the president of the Drama Club. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ushio."

"U-Ushi-?" she waved her hands in front of her, in a disarray as she shook her head. "No-No! It’s fine to just call me Okazaki-san!"

"Oh?" he lifted his head with a smirk. "Where would the fun be in that?" Fukiko snapped up straight as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It’s not so bad to start off with first names, you know? Screw the Japanese polite society! If we don’t start with first names, how could we hope to be friends, ne?"

"R-Right!" Ushio nodded with a thumb’s up. Yellow-green eyes looked at the girl curiously as her interesting pose of an extended hand and upright thumb, face serious as though she were just given a mission. He laughed. The brunette quickly snapped herself back to reality, "U-Uh, I’m sorry. It’s a habit from being around Akii!"

“‘Akii’?” Fukiko echoed the name, stroking his chin once more. “Another stage name?”

"No! No! It’s my nickname for my grandfather!"

"…Not a stage name?"

"…No."

Everything fell silent in the hall that the two found themselves in. Both pairs of eyes just gazing into one another, perhaps analyzing a strategy, or at least a way to continue on.

"Well then!" the red-haired young man grinned, grabbing Ushio’s hand once more before continuing on to the nurse’s station. "I’ll drop you off then be on my way! I have many things to do today! I need to gather more members for the Drama Club!" He stopped once more, turning around with expectant eyes, "Say! Would you like to join?"

"Join? The Drama Club?" Ushio thought out loud. "I don’t think it would be a bad thing."

"It wouldn’t! It wouldn’t! No way! No way!" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a card and placing it into the hand that he held. "Come here after school, all right? Don’t miss my impressive speech!" He gave her a wink and Ushio found herself smiling with a nod. "Well, we’re here," he sighed, looking up to see the sign indicating that they were at the school clinic. Turning back to her, Fukiko bowed once more, raising the girl’s hand towards him and he whispered, as he locked eyes with her, "I’ll be looking forward to seeing you, Hime-sama." And, with that he placed a kiss on the back of Ushio’s hand, stood tall, released it, and left.

_A prince?_

 

* * *

Classes had started with a bit of excitement, at least for Ushio. She loved hearing what people had to say about themselves as they were introduced. She loved sharing about herself as well, so cheerful as she stood before her peers, so full of pride. She wondered what her parents were like when they did the same. Her father probably didn’t say all that much, lackadaisical as he always was when he was young. Her mother was probably nervous, quiet, scared.

And then she wondered how her parents were doing. What were they doing right at that moment? Maybe, since there was no work today, they were being all lovey-dovey since they had the chance to be alone? Ushio snorted to herself. They were always lovey-dovey, but she was getting older now. She knew what adults did. Her parents weren’t that old. They were probably enjoying themselves to their full capacity and onwards. Her father was known to take things a little too far here and there, though her mother could be just as bad.

Then, her thoughts passed to her younger brother. She smiled.  _Mama and Papa looked so happy when they found out he was coming._  Even she was happy to hear of a new sibling, even if it was a boy. There was a scare though, much like when Ushio was born.  _But, Mama was strong and pulled through. I never saw Papa so relieved._ And in his arms was a small Aoi. Okazaki Aoi. Just as she was a spitting image of her mother, he was of their father. He was still sleeping when she left. He was going into kindergarten.  _He’ll make a lot of friends_ , she thought, trying to hide her brightest smile with her hand as she feigned to listen to the teacher. That is, until the bell rang.

The first day.

Complete.

**-**


	2. Returning the Gesture

"And, thank you! Thank you  _all_  for coming!" a young man stood before a nearly empty class after school that day. That boy with violet-red hair and yellow green eyes. Ushio did as was asked of her. To check in on the club. After what such a kind senpai like him did for her, taking her to the nurse's office…it was the least she could do in return. She just wished she didn't miss the "wonderful speech" he mentioned earlier. As she stepped into the room, she had to hold back a look of pity as only a handful of people were leaving. Her eyes followed them, until she heard her someone shout.

"Ah! You came!"

The brunette's head turned swiftly, and there was a sudden appearance of the earlier mentioned young man right before her. Ushio let out a squeak of surprise, causing a mischievous looking grin to settle on the older male's lips as well as a teasing snicker.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come!" he stated, ruffling her hair casually.

"A-Ah, Kobayashi-senpai?" she choked out nervously, where he then retracted his hand and instead pressed his pointer finger to her lips.

His expression seemed grave but his words were only light-hearted, "Now, Ushio, what did I say about names earlier?"

"President!"

Fukiko straightened, looking over his shoulder with an unpleasant expression on his face. Ushio took the privilege to glimpse around him where four other students stood. The one who had called out to him was a young woman who could be described as vertically challenged, with long wavy white hair, black eyes, and a tiny chest. "What do you want, Mikino?" the redhead drawled with a sigh, turning to face the female who held a frown in her features.

"Just because the meeting is over doesn't mean you can start hitting on the cute freshmen!" she scolded.

"Eh?" Fukiko scowled. "I'm offended! You know I'm one hundred percent dedicated to the club! I would never flirt while on duty! Slander!"

"President, you always claim slander," a young man with shoulder length curly brown hair held in a ponytail and black eyes stated with a minute smile and roll of his eyes.

"Always the same thing," a blonde haired, green-eyed girl sighed.

The last girl, with shoulder length curly black hair, blue eyes, glasses, and above-average bust size, shook her head, "No variety. So boring."

Fukiko seemed flabbergasted, exaggerating a gasp and placing a hand on his chest theatrically, "What are you trying to say? That I have no skill?"

There was a hard collective, "Yes."

**-**


	3. Oh Boy

In the most glamorous of fashion, the senior dropped to his knees in overstated shock. However, he was completely forgotten as the attention of the other students went towards Ushio. They smiled, save for the blue-eyed girl with glasses, and sang in chorus as they rushed over to her, "A new member!"

Ushio shrunk back, unfamiliar with such a feeling, like prey being eyed by vicious carnivores. "Erm…I…well…"

"Ah! I'm Saito Mikino, third year!" the petite white-haired girl stated. "Vice-president of the Drama Club!"

"Hello," the brown haired boy smiled and nodded his head in greeting. "My name is Kato Joji, second year. I'm the Secretary."

"Yoshida Taeko!" the blonde girl saluted Ushio. "Second year; historian for the Drama Club!"

"And, I'm Yamada Tamiko," the ravenette stated, adjusting her glasses. "I'm a third year, and I take care of the finances for the group."

"Ah, um…" Well, she was never one for being rude. She bowed, "My name is Okazaki Ushio. I'm a first year. It's a pleasure to meet you." She peeked up shyly at the older students. "Kobayashi-senpai invited me this morning."

"Ah-ha!" the mentioned redhead jumped to his feet, breaking through the group that was crowding the young girl and bent forward to her eye level. "Speaking of, why were you so late? You missed my important speech!"

"I-I got lost!" Ushio cried. "I-I'm sorry…"

"Was that it?" Fukiko rose a brow before mussing her hair once more. "That's fine! It can't be helped when you're new!"

A blush overcame the young girl's cheeks and just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by the vice-president. "So, are you going to join?"

"We could use more members!" Taeko stated. "Performing is a lot of fun!"

"Um, I'm not sure…" Ushio admitted. "It sounds interesting…but I don't know that much about being an actor. I also have to pick my brother up from kindergarten so I don't know if I'll have time after school for any club activities. It's something I'd have to talk with my parents about."

"And, that's completely understandable," Fukiko agreed. "How about you take this first week to settle things and come back next week with a decision?"

"That…would be wonderful. Thank you, Kobayashi-senpai," the caramel-haired girl smiled brightly with a grateful look in her eyes.

Fukiko's brows rose in surprise, his cheeks were dusted with pink and his green cat-like eyes glanced in another direction. "All right, then, we'll see you later," he coughed out.

"Right," she nodded happily, taking a few steps back before bowing. "Thank you! It was nice to meet you all! I'll be back in a week! Until then!" she stood, turned and ran out.

"Fukiko," Tamiko murmured the boy's name, gaining his attention. "I thought you learned your lesson from what happened last time."

"Shut up, Tamiko," he snarled.

"I'm just reminding you, is all."

"Well, I don't need to be reminded…"

"Good."

* * *

"Ah! Kyou-sensei!" Ushio smiled at the purple-haired woman who was currently sitting at the bench on the playground, tending to a little girl's scraped knee as the other children were chasing each other around the overly large pig, Botan.

The teacher took a glimpse up and smiled as well, turning back to the girl who sniffled, nodded with a tiny grin, and ran off to play. Slowly coming to a stand, Kyou dusted herself off from kneeling on the dirt and greeted the teen. "Ushio, it's been a while. I assume you've come here to pick up Aoi?"

Ushio nodded, "Of course."

Kyou sighed, "Really, your father is just as lazy as always. Sending out his daughter to pick up his son as though he doesn't have a care in the world."

"I offered," the brunette insisted. "I have nothing better to do and so…How was it? How was Aoi's first day? Did he make any friends?"

There was silence, and at first, Ushio presumed that the teacher was teasing her, but then she started to worry. "Ushio, about Aoi…his first day…could have been better…" Kyou sighed heavily.

"Well, what happened?"

"He-"

"Nee-san!"

**-**


	4. Willingness

Ushio turned around to see a miniature blue-haired, blue-eyed being running up to her. He collided into her legs, wrapping his arms about her hips and grinned up at her. "Nee-san!"

"Aoi!" she gasped, placing her hand on the boy's cheek. "What happened? There's a scratch!"

"He got into a bit of a scuffle," Kyou admitted. "He won't tell me what happened, and the other boy hurt his leg, too."

Ushio pulled her brother's arms off of her, him turning away, displeased with Kyou-sensei telling on him, and she lowered herself onto her knees. "Aoi, what happened? Why did you get into a fight?"

There was a determined expression on the boy's face. He would not speak. Ushio sighed, grabbing his hand, standing and giving an apologetic smile to the other woman. "Thank you, Kyou-sensei," she bowed her head. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's fine, Ushio," the teacher smiled gently then down at the boy who refused to meet her violet gaze. "I hope to see you tomorrow, Aoi-kun."

With the boy still silent, Ushio sighed once more before tugging lightly on her brother's arm, signaling to him to start walking as the two of them made their way home.

* * *

When Ushio and Aoi returned home they were greeted by their mother. Nagisa was shocked and immediately began to fuss over the scratch on her son's face, quickly asking Ushio as to what had happened. At the same time, Tomoya walked in at the distraught sound of his wife's voice, his reaction mirroring Nagisa's to his son's scratch but instead of becoming upset, he merely sighed and scratched the back of his head as his daughter explained it to be a fight.

"How could he get into a fight the first day?" Nagisa queried as she sat Aoi down on the couch, Tomoya bringing out the first aid kit to place a bandage over it. "And, why didn't Kyou-san take care of his wound?"

"I told her not to, Mama," the boy murmured, cheeks flushing as he gave his mother watery eyes.

"Why would you do that, Aoi?" Ushio asked, kneeling down beside her mother who crouched in front of her brother, her mother taking out some ointment from the small box as her father sat down on the arm of the couch beside the youngest.

"Because, I didn't need it…"

"Well, you do need it," Nagisa stated. She applied some of the ointment to the scratch and young Aoi flinched, wincing with a whine in his voice. "It's probably gotten a bit dirty so it might hurt more than it would have if you had gotten it taken care of when you first could have." Ushio watched her mother, surprised. There were only a few times that her mother would seem to serious or even as though she were chiding her children, but it was only ever if they were putting themselves in danger or harm's way.

"Anyway," Tomoya cut in, ruffling his son's hair as he gave a stern frown, "what were you doing getting into a fight?"

Pouting, and ignoring the sting of the band-aid being pressed to his cheek, Aoi was hesitant to respond, "I…don't know…"

"Aoi, there's got to be a reason."

But, even with the urging push to explain as to why their son was involved with a fight in the first place, they got nothing. It was strange because Aoi never had been in a fight before. He was good-natured and respectful; he didn't even like violence, so why would he fight someone else? Unwillingly leaving it as it was, Tomoya and Nagisa decided to let Aoi tell them when he was ready, and so Nagisa began to work on dinner as Tomoya decided to take care of some bills. Ushio, however, sat beside her younger brother on the couch, glancing down at him while he pointedly ignored her, eyes forced on his knees as he hunched over.

"You sure?"

"Yes," Aoi grumbled, his cheeks flushing a bright red.

"All right then, just don't get into trouble tomorrow, all right?"

"Yes, Nee-san…"

Hearing a hefty sigh from the kitchen and a call of her name, Ushio responded, handing her brother the remote of their television before scurrying, walking by her father who sat at the dinner table, and stopped at the end of the counter where her mother was currently preparing dinner.

"What is it, Mama?"

With a sigh, Nagisa glanced up briefly as she chopped the needed vegetables, "So, how was  _your_  first day?"

"Um…" Ushio thought it over. Was it bad? Was it good? "It was…good…I believe."

"You believe?"

"Yes, it was exciting in most parts but others were just…a bit confusing I suppose?"

Silent for a moment, Nagisa placed the knife down as she finished cutting, then pointedly looked down at her daughter's knees and replied, "How did you get those? Were you involved in a fight as well?"

Ushio laughed, hearing the teasing tone her mother used in her last question. "No, it wasn't a fight. I just tripped at the front gate before the opening ceremony."

"And, you were able to get that bandaged up and arrive on time to the ceremony, right?" her mother pondered, almost worried.

"Yes, Ko- …er… Fukiko…showed me to the nurse's office and with that I was able to arrive on time to the ceremony."

"That's good," Nagisa smiled as she placed the vegetables into a bowl of miso. "So, you've already made a friend with this Fukiko?"

"Not…exactly…he's friendly, but he's a senpai…"

"Your mother was my senpai until she fell ill one year," Tomoya stated from the table, leaning back to get a better look at his two girls.

"It's hard to make friends with a senpai right off the bat, Papa. But, he…well…he was wondering if I wanted to join the drama club."

**-**


	5. The Choices We Face

"Drama club?" Tomoya raised a brow in surprise. "They have that kind of thing nowadays?"

"For the past few years it seems, but it doesn't seem to have that many members at the moment."

"That sounds familiar," Nagisa giggled.

"Yeah," her husband laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, do you want to join?"

"I…thought about it, but I'm not sure if acting is something I'm good at."

"You did a few plays in the past, right?"

"That was when I was in primary school."

"So, you can't do any now that you're in high school?"

Ushio sighed, "But, who will pick up Aoi from kindergarten?"

"I can," Nagisa stated, dumping some noodles in the miso with the vegetables. "I could switch shifts without any problems."

"Ushio," Tomoya called, gaining his daughter's attention immediately, "we aren't trying to force you to do it. We just want you to know that if you want to try something out, go ahead and do it and we'll do what we can to support you, all right? And, you don't have to feel so responsible for your brother. Live your teenage years, they fly by."

"Y-Yes, Papa," Ushio lowered her head, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. She had to wonder to herself why she was so defensive about not joining. A part of her wanted to, yes, because the members there seemed so nice; especially Fukiko. She supposed that the thought of making a fool of herself on stage would actually really bother her. And, as for her brother, she couldn't help but to feel responsible. After all the work her parents put in to raising the both of them, she felt that they needed as much relaxing time they could manage, so she tried to give it to them by taking care of Aoi in their stead. "Well, they said I can think about it until the meeting next week, and then I can make my decision."

Tomoya smiled, "Good. Think about it carefully, all right?"

"Yes, Papa."

"And, I'll talk to my work about the possibility of shift changes," Nagisa added.

"Yes, Mama."

* * *

It was lunch time on the second day of school, and Ushio, sadly, was eating alone. She tried to interact with her classmates, but failed to do so. Either they were shy or unsociable, she wasn't sure, but she felt a little disappointed and so she sat in the courtyard under the big tree on the bench beneath it. She glanced down at her nikuman, almost with a weary face before settling for a determined expression. "I'll just have to keep trying," she murmured before taking a large bite.

Then, there was a laugh that completely caught her off-guard. She looked up and to her surprise, it was Fukiko. He was grinning as he stood before her, hands in his pockets, "Heyo, Ushio~"

"Kobaya- er…F-Fukiko…" she whispered.

"Hey, hey, what's with that?" he frowned, taking a seat next to her as his hands slipped out of his pockets and steadied himself atop of the bench. "You don't like seeing me?"

"No! That's not it!" Ushio assured a bit frantically. "I was just surprised! I'm sorry, Senpai!"

Again, Fukiko laughed, a little louder this time as his head fell back a bit. "It's fine, it's fine, I promise," he said. "I'm just teasing you, Ushio. Don't get so upset, all right?"

Ushio froze, seeing how sincere the older boy seemed at that moment. Her cheeks flushed as she looked back to her food, "Um…Fukiko…senpai…was there something you wanted?"

"Hm? Oh, no, nothing really," Fukiko admitted. "I was just skipping lunch and coincidentally saw you here as I was passing by." Ushio looked up, giving him a skeptical look of disbelief and the young man laughed. "I mean it, really."

"Senpai, do you want me to join the drama club so badly?"

"Huh?" Fukiko rose a brow, scowling slightly. "I said I'd give you a week to think it over, and that's what I'll do. You don't believe me?"

"Well…isn't it strange otherwise to be talking to a kouhai like this?"

"I don't think so," he shrugged. "I just thought it would be nice to talk to you."

"But, what if I end up deciding not to join?"

"Then, you decide not to join. Nothing to fuss about really. I'd still like to talk to you. Even if you don't become a member, it'd still be nice to have one more friend, right?"

When Fukiko smiled towards her, Ushio felt her cheeks burn; feeling a bit ashamed at having suspected him. "F…Fukiko-senpai…is there anything else that you like to do besides acting?"

"Nope."

"R-Really…?"

Again, Fukiko shrugged, "That's just me. I live for the stage. The other's enjoy it, but they have other things they like as well, or even more than drama." He paused before glancing down at Ushio, "What about you? What do you like?"

"I like…" the young brunette had to think it over before grinning. "I like baseball. And basketball. And soccer," she said, stopping between each one as she slowly listed them.

"So, you're into sports? You don't look it," he laughed. "But, if that's what you like, then maybe you should see if there are girl teams you can join, like tennis, or try to create your own group."

"I-I suppose…I could…" Ushio looked down at her nikuman before nibbling it. "My mother did that. She made her own group her third year."

"Really?"

"Yeah, with my father. When they attended school here."

"Is it still running?"

"No," Ushio laughed, "it got dissolved after one play because they couldn't find any more members."

"What group was that?"

"The drama club."

Fukiko sat, frozen before completely falling off of his seat. He scrambled back up, seeming off-guard and anxious as he questioned further, "W-What was your surname, again?!"

"Okazaki."

"Eh?! Th-Then…! Y-Your father! Okazaki Tomoya?!"

Ushio rose a brow, surprised, "How do you know my father's name?"

"I looked at all the previous records of drama clubs when I created this one in my first year! Okazaki Tomoya was one of two guys mentioned in the previously created drama club!" He paused to take a breather before continuing, "Then, your mother…" Fukiko quickly went through his mental files before asking, "Is it Furukawa Nagisa?!"

Ushio leaned back, becoming astonished at the boy's knowledge, "H-How did you know?!"

"I-I've seen their pictures. Everyone in the last club, and you kinda look like her! I-It was said that her solo act was amazingly performed! You have the talented blood of a genius!"

"Well…my mother's father was also an actor until she was a young child. He had built up a bit of a reputation."

"Eh?! So, you're an acting legacy?!"

"I suppose…but, I really don't have much talent with acting."

"No! I have to see this for myself! Please!" Quickly, Fukiko grabbed Ushio's hands, slinking to the ground and settling onto his knees as he begged, "Forget everything I said before, please! I need you at the drama club!"

Everything passed over Ushio's head as it happened. Each bit of movement took several minutes just to normally read in her mind, and after blinking away the fog in her thoughts several times, her eyes widened, brows rising up to her hairline, "Eh?!"

* * *

"Okazaki-san?"

"Hm?" Ushio was on her way out of the classroom; school was over and after that crazy lunch session, she just wanted to head home. However, as luck would have it, a girl with long blonde hair and grey eyes, a little on the chubby side, called out to her. If Ushio remembered correctly, she was Ochiai Kyoko. "Ochiai-san?"

"Okazaki-san, is it true that you are interested in sports?"

"Ah, yes," the young honey-eyed girl turned around with a smile on her lips. "It's true, why?"

"Well, a few friends of mine were thinking of starting a girls' basketball team," Kyoko answered timidly. "And, we were wanting to know if you'd be interested."

"Ah, but won't we need quite a few members for a basketball team?"

"Well, right now there's Kikutake Rini, Konae Emi, Ikoma Sadako, Hida Yuka, Akaike Akina, and myself," the blonde replied. "So, yes, we'll need more members but so far it looks like there won't be any trouble, really. And, we were going to have a small unofficial tryout the end of this week."

"Really? And, what for? 'Unofficial'?"

"Well, it's nice for the thought, but we want to make sure that people with actual…talent or promise start off the team, to get us onto the best first step we can get! So, we'll see how good everyone is this week. Won't you come?"

"I can't promise anything exactly, especially because I have my little brother to think about after school, but I'll see."

"Ah, thank you!" Kyoko gave a grin before she bowed. "Thank you so much, Okazaki-san!"

"It's no problem, really," Ushio laughed, waving her hand. "But, I do need to get my brother, so I'll see you later."

Standing upright, Kyoko gave another bob of her head, "Yes! See you!"

Waving once more, Ushio hurried out, a smile on her face as she felt a little excited. Hearing about a possible sports team being assembled made her heart pound. She didn't really care about which sport it was, she just wanted to be involved, and it was harder for girls to form teams than boys, but at least with this, it would be fine and there should be no worries as long as everyone could as least shoot the ball through the basket. Looks like Ushio would be needing to take out the old basketball hoop her grandfather stored at the end of summer.

However, the sudden thought of the drama club popped into her mind and her steps faltered as she made her way down the hall. She said she'd give the club some thought, but she never said anything about actually joining, did she? Though, it wasn't guaranteed that she would earn a possible place on the basketball team yet to be formed. But, what if there were positions open in both? Could she do them? If she really couldn't bring herself to say no, would she be able to join two after-school activities at once?

"Hey there!" a cheery voice piped in, making Ushio jump and turn on her heel, becoming face-to-face with the young brunette male from the drama club, black eyes shining as he smiled at her.

"Ah, you are…the secretary for the drama club…" she almost stammered but held herself grounded and clear.

"Yup," he held out his hand, school bag in the other as he nodded, "Kato Joji - second year, remember?"

"Er, Kato-senpai, yes," almost hesitantly, Ushio received his hand, shaking it once, twice, before they pulled away.

**To Be Continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all for the year! Thank you for joining me in this fan fiction, and I hope that next year I can produce better and longer chapters worthy for you guys! Thanks so much, and Happy Holidays!  
> -MultiVerSonalityDisorder


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